6689. Frome Side (47)

Bloem, Frome Side, Bristol, January 2025
Bloem, Frome Side, Bristol, January 2025

I don’t get down to this spot underneath the M32 nearly as much as I’d like to, but I do get there often enough to capture most of the pieces that are painted there, because the turnover is quite slow. This is a wonderful Bloem piece that was painted alongside her friend Sub.

Bloem, Frome Side, Bristol, January 2025
Bloem, Frome Side, Bristol, January 2025

I have noticed that quite a few of the pieces that have been painted over the winter in this spot are showing signs of rain damage, including this one. This piece is a bit of a ‘retro’ piece for Bloem, taking us back to some of her earlier themes when she was painting under the name Hiccup, such as the ‘brick’ mobile phone clutched in a hand with very long fingernails. It is always such a treat finding her work.

5843. Greenbank (106)

Sub and Bloem, Greenbank, Bristol, February 2024
Sub and Bloem, Greenbank, Bristol, February 2024

I mentioned in a previous post what a pleasure it had been to meet Sub and Bloem painting together under the M32 a few weeks back. The pleasure continued on finding this pair of pieces on the long hoarding at Greenbank. While the two artists collaborate, in so much as they paint together, their work is separate and distinct.

Sub, Greenbank, Bristol, February 2024
Sub, Greenbank, Bristol, February 2024

Sub writes his bold oversized letters, with deep drop-shadows, and I guess that a challenge for him is to fill a space with only three letters. There aren’t too many writers who only use three letters, I suppose that Slim Pickings, who writes TES would be one. The fill is augmented with his trademark wisp of smoke running over it, and he incorporates some interesting drip work along the top.

Bloem, Greenbank, Bristol, February 2024
Bloem, Greenbank, Bristol, February 2024

Alongside Sub is this quirky piece by Bloem. It would seem that she ha a bit of a thing for old ‘brick’ style mobile phones, and hands with pointy nails. What I like is that she varies these motifs from piece to piece, keeping both the theme running and keeping things interesting. Bloem is one of those artists whose work I always love finding, like Pekoe, Face 1st, Kid Crayon, Fiva, to name a few. This is a fine couple of pieces and I look forward to many more from the pair to come.

5755. M32 roundabout J3 (545)

Bloem, M32 roundabout, Bristol, December 2023
Bloem, M32 roundabout, Bristol, December 2023

I was absolutely thrilled to meet Bloem for the first time at the weekend, when she was painting a new piece alongside SUB (yet to appear on these pages) at the M32 Spot at the top end of Stapleton Road. As is always the case with meeting most street artists for the first time, she was nothing like I had imagined and, in my old eyes, so very young.

Bloem, M32 roundabout, Bristol, December 2023
Bloem, M32 roundabout, Bristol, December 2023

This piece is a variation of one that she has painted in this spot before back in June 2023, but even in that short time there has been a definite tightening up and improvement in her can control and technique. The idea is a good one, and so original, you simply don’t see anything like her work from anyone else in Bristol. I am expecting great things from Bloem this year, and hope I am fortunate enough to watch her painting again sometime.

Hiccup, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2023
Hiccup, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2023

5328. M32 roundabout J3 (485)

Hiccup, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2023
Hiccup, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2023

I have said many times before on Natural Adventures that it is always a great pleasure to welcome new artists, and over the last year or so there have been an incredible number of new entrants onto the scene. One of the latest to showcase her work is Hiccup, a Bristol artist, nail artist and creator of hand-crafted jewellery.

Hiccup, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2023
Hiccup, M32 roundabout, Bristol, June 2023

This is a nicely worked piece of a hand holding an old brick cell phone – I had one like it for many years. The letters ACAB (All Cops are Bast**ds) appear in the display – a common motif for street artists. Nails feature prominently, which perhaps comes as no surprise. A nice piece, with plenty more to come, I hope.

5319. Upfest 2022 (77)

Zubieta, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022
Zubieta, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022

Upfest is an opportunity for artists to showcase their work to a huge number of visitors, local and from further afield, and with so many pieces on view, it is difficult to make an impression, but Bristol artist Zubieta seems to have hit the spot with this vibrant piece.

Zubieta, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022
Zubieta, Upfest 22, Bristol, May 2022

A young woman lies in a flowery meadow, looking at her melting cell phone. The flowers seem to be pleased to see that the phone is wasting away, and the woman can turn her attention to nature. Live in the moment and take in your surroundings is the subliminal message that I get from this bright and colourful piece.

4205. Devon Road (14)

Devon Road is one of those street art/graffiti spots where the turnover is pretty low and consequently not a place I visit all that often. Recently, however, there has been quite a lot of activity from the LRS crew. This mobile phone piece from Stika being one of the newest.

Stika, Devon Road, Bristol, January 2022
Stika, Devon Road, Bristol, January 2022

This is the second piece from Stika I have posted like this, in which he has painted an ordinary household object, but given it a colourful makeover. The first was a camcorder at Greenbank. The phone looks  little like my first Nokia, and it looks like the snake game is playing out on the primitive digital display. How quickly things have moved on. A very nice stylised piece from Stika.

Eureka!

.

It took me a while

pictures from phone to PC

great discovery

.

by Scooj

3082. Cumberland Basin

Sled One is simply knocking out great pieces at the moment, all of equally high quality and imaginatively pioneering. This sausage on a mobile phone is such a great example of his creativity… a sausage? who’d have thought it?

Sled One, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, July 2020
Sled One, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, July 2020

Of course this is a mash up of writing (SLED) and a character, something that Sled One is a master of. Other writers will often add a character to the side of their work, but they rarely synthesise them into the piece itself. He has a rare talent. It is so good to see Sled One hitting the streets so frequently and it is worth making hay while the sun shines, because he can go quiet for extended periods (work demands probably). Sausages.

Map app

.

The red line of death

tells me we’re going to be late

growing frustration.

by Scooj